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4. Dressmaker/tailor

Average annual income: $26,560

Like the furniture upholster, nine times out of 10 a dressmaker or tailor has chosen this profession for a love of the work. Add to that the fact that you get to set your own hours and your customers are often immensely grateful that you’ve made them look better. That's a perfectly tailored situation for low stress.

But here, too, is a perfect example of how it’s not always as simple as swapping a high-stress job for a low one — you wouldn’t find many firefighters trading in their helmets for a measuring tape or pin-cushion wristlet.